• The New York Times, Friday, March 7, 2008 11:45 AM

To take advantage of the earlier start to daylight saving time, what may be Lowe's most ambitious spring marketing campaign ever gets under way on Sunday. It is relentlessly upbeat, as shown by its cheerful theme, "Welcome back spring."

The centerpiece is a section of the Lowe's Web site (lowes.com/spring)--scheduled to launch Monday--where consumers visit a make-believe town, Sunnyville, whose inhabitants are gaga over activities like grilling, gardening and riding lawn mowers. The site will offer content that includes ring tones-- called "spring tones"-- that mimic seasonal sounds like birds and sprinklers.

Madison Avenue is watching anxiously to see whether marketers like Lowe's, which spends about $900 million each year to advertise in major media, will maintain their budgets or slash them because of the uncertain economic climate. Pulling back "is certainly something you think about," says Bob Gfeller, svp for marketing and advertising, but because Lowe's has been gaining market share, "we look at this as an opportunity."

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